If I’m going to pay thrice the reasonable amount for a cup of hot lemon ginger honey, then at least give me real lemons. And a drop of genuine honey in the ‘honey’ would be really nice. 34 days walking the Annapurna Circuit led to the unfortunate discovery of an assortment of menu inaccuracies asking for outraged vegans and shameless shortcuts that pose risk for allergen catastrophes.

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Trekkers come to Nepal in droves. The unspoken agreement is that where you sleep is where you eat.

A friend who walked Nepal decades ago describes to me her horror at the ‘Maoist menus’ when they first appeared. Uniform layouts and the requirement for approval from the local tourism board guarantee a lackluster dining experience with exponential price inflation.

Long gone are the local flavors in a dal bhat. Instead every latte in Manang is inevitably made with milk powder. Meals are greasy and lacking in love; food poisoning is a common complaint.

Relevant read—Monthly Mood: Ukalo Oralo

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Nepal’s Trekker Lodge Menu, Dissected And Digested

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hot drinks

• any drink containing milk = milk powder
• any drink with lemon = lemon concentrate containing additives little lemon juice
• lemon ginger honey = see above; syrup containing sugar and fructose rather than honey
• black coffee = instant powder / Nescafe
• hot chocolate = instant powder; why i eliminate commercial chocolate more than any other food

tip: those on a budget could pack their own tea bags and herbs and order hot water

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porridge

• oat porridge = rarely oats and often ‘buddha porridge,’ a product of rolled wheat flakes and milk powder
• tsampa/champa = usually cornmeal (gluten-free), but can be barley (contains gluten) or some other grain, with milk powder and sugar added; i always asked for no milk powder
• muesli = ask to see the ingredients for any offenses

tip: pack your own instant oats and order hot water to save money

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bread

• tibetan bread = deep fried dough; many vegans relied on this
• buckwheat bread = vegan gluten-free; specify if you want with or without sugar
• cornbread = vegan gluten-free and usually sweetened; specify if you want with or without sugar
• jam/honey = quite synthetic coming from factories; homemade apricot jam @ tanpopo hotel in marpha

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eggs

• eggs are eggs but it saddened my heart to discover that commercial layer hens from the cities have their beaks cut

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soup

• garlic soup = somehow word got around that this helps with altitude; rather than ‘the apple pie trail’ the Annapurna Circuit may as well be ‘the garlic soup trail’
• noodle soup = often instant ramen

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rice

• fried rice = soy sauce in Nepal is processed and typically contains gluten

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pizza

• hit or miss, sometimes tasted certainly of ketchup, with a crust of white bread, the cheese is usually yak cheese

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dessert

• chocolate pudding = looked pretty instant powder-derived

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recommendations

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vegan

Asking too many questions doesn’t exist. Check everything. Many vegans ate ‘tibetan bread with jam’ for breakfast, potato or veg momos, veg pasta or rice, and dal bhat.

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personal favorites

• pumpkin soup
• cornbread
• buckwheat bread

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diarrhea cures

• boiled eggs
• boiled potatoes
• cornbread without sugar
• buckwheat bread without sugar
• clear, unsweetened teas

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annapurna circuit notable dishes

• apple crumble, plain croissant, americano @ nilgiri bakery in manang
• potato momos @ hotel dream home just outside of yak kharka
• some special dishes @ german bakery in kagbeni
• dhido (steamed buckwheat mush) set @ tanpopo hotel in marpha

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